Rating: 
Summary: Mid-Career Crisis for Kay Scarpetta and Her Loyal Tribe
Review: Having read all of Patricia Cornwell's Scarpetta novels, I would have to say that Blowfly is not the one to start out with if this is a reader's first trip with Kay Scarpetta. However, I felt the book was quite well developed and carefully written, and it is a natural progression of plot and character development at this juncture in the series.Blowfly takes place at a trying and extremely difficult period of time in the lives and careers of Kay Scarpetta, Pete Marino, Benton Wesley and Scarpetta's niece, Lucy. Working quite faithfully and naturally from the events of the last book in the series, Cornwell works with the characters she has created and evolved since the series began many volumes ago. Each of the central characters has undergone a fairly traumatic change in their careers and has suffered enormously as a result of events pretty much beyond their control. This is all critical backdrop to the series as it evolves in the future and I believe it's important for the critics to take that into consideration as they moan and complain that Cornwell has abandoned her readers. Even within the rotten life circumstances that each of the central figures struggles with, Blowfly offers a richly developed plot involving Jean Paul Chandonne, the notorious serial killer who has left a trail of bodies for Kay Scarpetta in the past. Chandonne is now on death row in Texas and things start to get kind of spooky as his days til execution get shorter and shorter. Kay is drawn back into his life, as are all of the other characters that have been responsible for his captivity and sentence. A really satisfying story in and of itself, and, I believe the lower key nature of Blowfly when compared to earlier Scarpettas is understandable. And yet, the great detail in the relationships and life events of the main characters seems to be central to the continuation of these characters in future volumes. Cornwell has been faithful to her old friends in Blowfly, and she has demonstrated her skills as a writer once again in this presentation. With Blowfly as intermission, I now can't wait for the next adventures of Kay Scarpetta and her faithful friends! A Must for Continuing Scarpetta Fans! Highly recommended. Daniel J. Maloney
Saint Paul, Minnesota U.S.A.
Rating: 
Summary: Filth
Review: Speaking of books, last night I tried to listen to that Patricia Cornwell book, Blow Fly. It's the most disgusting thing I ever heard. I listened to the first CD and thought it surely gets better, but the second was worse. I hit the stop button so hard that I nearly knocked the player off the night stand. And to think there are 13 CDs in all. I can't believe people read such filth. I would donate it to the library, but I wouldn't want anyone to know I had it in my possession.
Rating:
Summary: Feeble attempt by author to redeem herself
Review: I was a huge fan of Patricia Cornwell (mainly because of her character Scarpetta) until she wrote the worst book ever written - Isle of Dogs. I vowed I would never waste another dime on her books. I borrowed Blow Fly only because it was a Scarpetta novel. After reading the first few very depressing chapters, I realized I no longer cared about her characters. I skimmed the next half, and only began to take an interest (albeit minor) in the old gang in the last few chapters. I've read my last Cornwell book. Even though she didn't resolve the characters and plot, I'm resolved I'm not going to waste any more time reading anything by Patricia Cornwell. How in the world does she continue to get featured by book clubs???? - obviously they don't get advanced copies. Amazon clearly needs a rating below 1 star - I think a 'rotten egg' rating would be appropriate here.
Rating:
Summary: Continues the long decline of the author's talent
Review: Not as bad as 1 star, but if you compare it to the first few Scarpetta books then it truly stinks. The author now has the James Patterson method of writing - short chapters (one chapter is a single page!). There are several chapters in a row take place at the same place with the same characters. If you put lots of chapters in you get all that lovely white space and the end and start of a chapter where you don't have to do any work - like writing something. Even worse, the author just re-cycles old characters instead of coming up with new ones - one even has a unbelievable prison escape. There are a number of plot holes, like it never occurs to "The Last Precinct" that they are listening to a recording? Lots of leaps of logic too - like who would fly a chopper from NYC to the LA Gulf Coast? Well, if you NEED the chopper later in the book then Lucy would fly it down for you. Then there is the "secret" mission Lucy goes on to Europe - the day she returns everyone know what she did - what a joke. Lucy is also even more nuts than before - gee why would anyone trust a helicopter or a gun to someone as unstable as she is? If she had not quit every job she had with the government they would have fired her - or stuck her in the loony bin. Of course, everyone has lots of money for fine things - this name-dropping comes from the author having made so much money off her books, she no longer knows how it was before she was rich - so her alter-egos in the book (Lucy and Scarpetta) have to be rolling in the bucks as well. The author decided she wants to write adventure or spy novels, when what made her famous was the forensic pathology. The worth of her novels is in direct ratio to the amount of forensic worth the characters do (do NOT even try to read a non-Scarpetta book by the author, they really stink). Cornwell should go back and read the first couple of books and realize how far she has strayed. Heck, she should just read the blurb on the Blow Fly jacket about how great the author is because of the forensic details - then realize there is about none of this detail IN the book. Only for die-hard Scarpetta fans and even then wait for the paperback or get it from the library.
Rating:
Summary: What a let-down!
Review: I patiently worked my way through the book, hoping that the other negative reviewers were wrong. Unfortunately, they were correct. And the ending... what a total let-down! Thank goodness I borrowed it from the library.
Rating: 
Summary: Let down
Review: This was one of the first Cornwell books that falls flat. It is poorly written and not the quality that we have come to expect from Ms. Cornwell. The story line is not well developed. The chapters are short and dis-jointed. The ending doesn't end. You get the feeling Ms. Cornwell was under a publisher's deadline and rushed (with disasterous results) to complete a novel that was only a partial rough draft. Greatly disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Wait for the paperback
Review: Even though this book wasn't what I'd been waiting for; I WANTED SCARPETTA! it was a compelling but simple read. To many questions were answered to quickly and others left you hanging. Ms. Cornwell what were you thinking? This book isn't one of your better Dr Kay books. If you are preparing us for a Last Precint series just make a public anouncement. Yes, you do need to read this book if you're a fan. No, you don't need it in hard cover, unless you buy it used. When the sequel comes out I'm waiting a year for the paperback edition. Disappointed
Rating:
Summary: WHO WROTE THIS BOOK???!!!
Review: I haven't even completed 10 chapters in this book... I'm not sure I can finish it. DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK. I am so glad that I got it from the library. The first thing I noticed and it is HUGE, HUGE, HUGE... Why did Cromwell go from writing Scarpetta in first person singular to third person? Very, very disturbing... I'm having a hard time reading this book for that alone. Did she really write this book, why the sudden change? And I know they BIG SECRET (I was told), what utter and complete TRASH. I haven't like the last few books. The themes have been off the wall, unrealistic, and sometimes downright unreadable. What happened to the much honored author of yesterday? Is she gone forever? Will she be forever ill with the fatal "New York Times Best Seller" disease, which seems to affect most good writers? Why do authors listen to editors and/or publishing houses and forget their loyal fan?
Rating:
Summary: Scarpetta rides again! Awesome characterization, plot
Review: I guess I'm in the minority in just loving this book, looking at a lot of reviews on amazon. I'm stumped. I was jumping for joy when I saw the new Patricia Cornwell/Scarpetta book on the shelf, as I always am. Kay Scarpetta is just my all-time favorite heroine, and I love all the gory, medical investigator detail in Cornwell's books. I remember when Point of Origin came out and the readers' reviews all echoed the same thought -- the Scarpetta series was over. But no! And I knew "he" (not wanting to give away too much of the book) was still alive! I just didn't think it would be three books later until he resurfaced. I agree with some of the reviewers that Jean-Baptist Chandonne is getting a little used up as a villain, and this ending sets up yet another book on the man. Then again, how many serial killers are out there realistically in the world that Scarpetta can run into as savage as the Wolfman? Sure, all serial killers are savage, but some books on the market and movies make ya wonder how some characters just HAPPEN to attract serial killers like -- flies? There are surely more out there than people know of, but not as many as books and Hollywood would like you to think. I was glad for a couple reuniting and just loved the ending. Finally! I've been waiting and waiting for this reunion. The foreshadowing was right there at the beginning of Black Notice. Pooh on the other reviewers, this is another great Scarpetta book by the queen of forensic thrillers. A fast read building lots of suspense in the way the chapters moved back and forth from character to character. Getting inside the mind of the other killers, a couple, also was a treat. Readers also get into the mind of some of the victims, who don't believe a drop-dead gorgeous man could be a killer! When's the next one coming out, Patricia? Hurry! Your Scarpetta fans are waiting.
Rating:
Summary: Blow Fly
Review: I was bamboozled, I was hookwinked, I was cheated out of a character that I loved. After reading this book I realized that the author was just trying to get some thoughts out of her mind. This book was not up to the usual excellent writing skills and imagination of Ms. Cornwell. It jumped around as if she lost her place, things were left out and did not ever seem to fit a pattern. I hope that she can redeem herself with the next one.
I refuse to let anyone else purchase it.
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